FDA, Get toxins out of our bodies! - FDA must Ban bisphenol A (BPA)

What happened? On December 7, 2011, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) settled a case that was brought against them by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) regarding their illegal inaction concerning the chemical bisphenol A (BPA).

Why illegal? Over three years ago, NRDC filed a petition with the FDA asking it to ban the use of BPA as an additive. Legally, the FDA has no more than 180 days to respond to a written petition and in this case, it took them 41 months and one lawsuit to respond. The FDA has finally agreed to make a decision about the use of BPA in food and drink packaging by March 31, 2012.

Why ban it? BPA is an endocrine disruptor and can be found in water bottles, some baby bottles, in epoxy resins used to coat the inside food and drinks cans, dental fillings and sealants, and receipts. BPA has been linked to a variety of diseases including autism, attention disorder ADHD, erectile dysfunction, heart disease in women, depression, learning disorders, asthma, obesity, type 2 diabetes, and infertility. People exposed to BPA are reported to have a higher risk of developing prostate and breast cancers, and BPA has been found to decrease the effectiveness of chemotherapy. Babies and young children are especially sensitive to the harmful effects of BPA. A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study found BPA in 95% of adult human urine samples and 93% of samples in children.

What does the FDA currently have to say about it? “The FDA shares the perspective of the National Toxicology Program that recent studies provide reason for some concern about the potential effects of BPA on the brain, behavior, and prostate gland of fetuses, infants and children.” -excerpt from the US Food and Drug Administration website

What say us? We say ban it. We, the undersigned, are urging the FDA to ban bisphenol A from food and drink containers and packages as it has been shown to be harmful in numerous studies. We ask that the FDA seriously consider the concern they have over the dangerous effects of BPA and do what is right for the health and safety of the people of the United States. We are all exposed to high levels of BPA regularly as it appears in a variety of daily consumed products. This frequent exposure includes the 11,516 employees of the FDA. To quote Jeanne Rizzo, a registered nurse, President and CEO of Breast Cancer Fund, and one of the co-sponsors of this petition, “If BPA were being studied as a pharmaceutical drug, it’s highly doubtful, given its interaction with animals, that it would make it into a clinical trial with humans. It wouldn’t make it into a clinical trial, and yet we’re already in a clinical trial and we’re all the subjects...” (Forbes, December 2011)